Why are the nights quiet in Tehran? What is happening in Tehran?

There is a revolution. The Shah has left.

Shida Bazyar is an Iranian woman, and this novel’s narrator is a man. Why? Sometimes, the author selects the gender of the narrator. I guess a male protagonist would be bold, moving around in the city and thus able to describe fully the events.

The narrator is given the name Behzadjan. He experiences how matchmaking is done for him. He goes out in the street where protests are held. His friend Sohrab got shot in his leg. He attends meetings for revolutionaries.

These gatherings are typically held “underground” as the people don’t want to get caught. The streets are relatively calm and belie the anger of the crowds. The nights are quiet in Teheran because the people are in hiding.

He sees how Iranian woman have changed by abandoning western ideals of beauty. They have become serious. He falls in love with a female fellow revolutionary nicknamed Ashraf.

This book is longlisted in the running for The International Booker Prize 2026. It passed a second round of selection, getting admitted into the short list of 6 titles which are going into the final round of judging.